Photographer's Note

A mausoleum in the old Silk Road city of Konye Urgench.

I think this may be the Najm-ed-din Kubra mausoleum, one of the holiest places in Turkmenistan. The teacher who is buried here founded the Sufic Kubra order with followers in the surrounding area. But then this may be one of the other nearby mausoleums - it's several years since I was here! If someone can confirm for sure I would be grateful.

I particularly liked Konye Urgench for three reasons:
1. There's hardly any tourists compared with neighbouring Uzbekistan.
2. The unrestored buildings seem far more real than in other Silk Road cities that have been significantly rebuilt.
3. Travelling here is quite unpredictable and definitely an adventure!

This is a fascinating area, which I've always wanted to visit. The history of centuries seems so well preserved, even when it's not restored (especially when it's not restored!). They seemed to have a special talent for mausoleums and grave towers (like those in "The Road to Oxiana"). This looks like a great example, and it's good that you have some people in the shot to give it some scale. Nice work, and I hope I see you back on TE more often! I miss your highly informative and interesting posts.